A Drink On Me
Niagara Falls is a truly depressing place.
Sure there is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world there, but the downtown area and the residential areas not far from there...
...well, it’s depressing.
Yesterday I had to visit a job in a pretty rough looking neighborhood.
I parked my car, and made sure that I locked the doors. As I put on my mask, I noticed a very skinny, extremely dirty, black man eyeing me up.
He was sitting on a broken down porch, in a busted chair in front of a deteriorating home.
I walked by even though I heard him say:
“Hey!”
I went into the job which was just a couple of doors down and spent a good half hour walking around.
As I was leaving, I thought about the black guy.
I made a decision before he even asked the question.
He saw me coming, and he stood up slowly.
I put two one-dollar bills down on the floor of the porch as I walked by.
“I wanted to ask you if you had a dollar,” he said. “God Bless you.”
I had set the two singles down without touching anything and not getting within 15’ of the man.
I was just about to my car when he made it to the money and the edge of his porch. He picked up the $2.
“Thank you! Thank you!!” He called out. Then he added:
“Let me give you a hug!”
“No,” I yelled through my mask. “You can’t touch anyone because of the virus.”
The guy was standing there, lost. He was totally confused.
“There’s a virus?” He asked. “Is it bad?”
I heard the hurt in his voice. I had a hand on the door handle. He was a long ways away, but he needed an answer.
“Are people dying?” He asked.
“It’s pretty bad,” I said.
He looked down. Shook his head from side-to-side.
“I don’t wanna’ hear that,” he said. “Is it like AIDS?”
“Kind of,” I said.
He was downright despondent.
“I’m sorry to hear about the virus,” he said. “I already got the AIDS.”
I picked that point to escape to the interior of my car.
He came down off the porch then and headed towards Main Street. I was waiting at the light when he limped on by. He raised one hand in a salute...
...then headed into the liquor store on the corner.
God Bless.
I bought him a drink.
And I’m good with it.
Sure there is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world there, but the downtown area and the residential areas not far from there...
...well, it’s depressing.
Yesterday I had to visit a job in a pretty rough looking neighborhood.
I parked my car, and made sure that I locked the doors. As I put on my mask, I noticed a very skinny, extremely dirty, black man eyeing me up.
He was sitting on a broken down porch, in a busted chair in front of a deteriorating home.
I walked by even though I heard him say:
“Hey!”
I went into the job which was just a couple of doors down and spent a good half hour walking around.
As I was leaving, I thought about the black guy.
I made a decision before he even asked the question.
He saw me coming, and he stood up slowly.
I put two one-dollar bills down on the floor of the porch as I walked by.
“I wanted to ask you if you had a dollar,” he said. “God Bless you.”
I had set the two singles down without touching anything and not getting within 15’ of the man.
I was just about to my car when he made it to the money and the edge of his porch. He picked up the $2.
“Thank you! Thank you!!” He called out. Then he added:
“Let me give you a hug!”
“No,” I yelled through my mask. “You can’t touch anyone because of the virus.”
The guy was standing there, lost. He was totally confused.
“There’s a virus?” He asked. “Is it bad?”
I heard the hurt in his voice. I had a hand on the door handle. He was a long ways away, but he needed an answer.
“Are people dying?” He asked.
“It’s pretty bad,” I said.
He looked down. Shook his head from side-to-side.
“I don’t wanna’ hear that,” he said. “Is it like AIDS?”
“Kind of,” I said.
He was downright despondent.
“I’m sorry to hear about the virus,” he said. “I already got the AIDS.”
I picked that point to escape to the interior of my car.
He came down off the porch then and headed towards Main Street. I was waiting at the light when he limped on by. He raised one hand in a salute...
...then headed into the liquor store on the corner.
God Bless.
I bought him a drink.
And I’m good with it.
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